luministi | ❧ Flashback

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❧ Flashback

[After getting dug out, Nathan makes his way over to the general store, limping as he walks. He looks quite the sight with cuts, scrapes, and gashes all over his body (the worst of it is on his legs), and his suit is scorched, tattered, and just plain non-existent around his calves. He's even missing a shoe and looks a bit thinner than he was the last time he was there. But for a man who was crushed under so much debris, he doesn't seem in pain or anything; just inconvenienced.

Once he's inside the general store, he walks over to the vid screen, activating it so he can contact everyone's CAT devices and all of the other vidscreens around town. When he speaks, he doesn't sound strained, not like he has in any of his other appearances in the town and spacestation.]

I hope everyone can hear me and none of you were caught in that blast. I'm sorry it even happened, but--[He falls silent, his eyebrows knitting in concern.] There is much I need to tell you now that I'm here.

Please, meet me in the White Rabbit pub in half an hour. All of you. It's time you had some answers.

[The video transmission ends.]

Plot Details: Flashback

something else was too

This plot will only last a week

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[Hawk brings a glass of lemonade with him to the table, giving him something to do with his hands once he's sat down. It's interesting that Nathan seems to have recovered so quickly… but he's assuming it could be magic or an ointment, though how or where doesn't seem so obvious.]

The conditions could be better… but I'm glad to see you're in good health. [He shifts a little, bringing his hands together.] What, exactly, is it the man in black hopes for with us?

[He smiles faintly, taking a sip from his glass.] Thank you, I feel a lot better now.

[Aaaand he sets his glass down.] He...wants you all to stay here forever. You may have noticed that he won't let any of you die. He brings the townspeople back all the time. Those who have died in the explosion today will be back to normal tomorrow. But there is a big difference between you and them.

You're not from this universe. Here, you are special. You and all your friends are subjects of an illegal experiment of an interdimensional level. Your experimental status never ended after Caligin released you--but he isn't the one behind this. The friends and acquaintances you've met and aren't here any longer? Are failed subjects. They didn't pass his requirements, so he let them go. You're just lucky enough to have met them all.

Mm, we noticed. [He shudders lightly, fingers curling in.] I'm happy enough to still be alive, but for it to be in someone else's control… The townspeople… weren't they real people, when Caligin was in charge?

… So we were still part of the experiment, even in our own worlds? [His eyebrows draw in, and he links his fingers together.] What are those requirements? What is he looking for? What kind of difference does it make that we're not from this universe?

When Dr. Caligin was in charge, yes. But at some point near the end of his experiments, he let everyone go. Paid them, sent them home, cut all ties from them in order to keep them safe from the repercussions of his research.

[He sits forward in his seat.] You were and you weren't. When you and the other original otherworlders were sent home, you were merely being observed, but when he felt it was time to bring you back, he did. The second time you were sent home--when I sent you home [Nathan sounds a bit angry now]--the experiment continued. Had I realized what was going on, I wouldn't have tried to send you home. It wasn't fair to any of you.

As for what he's looking for... [His expression darkens] Only he truly knows. It's different for everyone. I've seen him bring people here, perfectly kind and wonderful people, and ones who were quite interesting, and he'd reject them all. Maybe he'd give them a trial run, see how they do here, but for whatever reason, he's sent them home.

And it makes all the difference that you're not of this universe. His experiments wouldn't work if he tried it with people from our own.

[Hawk nods, somewhat reassured that those people aren't involved in all this.]

So in other words, you would have kept us here to work on the problem? [He's trying to cute his own tone fairly even.]

…I see. Hopefully they're safe back home, though.

[He taps his fingers against each other.] Because we've been taken out of our own? Or something else?

It would have given me more teams to send out, but it didn't feel right, which is why I didn't. I could have tried to protect those unable to search, like Miss Hatter, or anyone else who didn't want to search. But I didn't want to remove your choice, not when you finally got one.

We have to trust that they are. Once this is done, I'll be able to check on them.

[He shakes his head.] No, because the technology he used was originally developed to work only on those outside of our universe. If he decided to, he could make it so all of you can only speak in rhyme, but nothing would happen to me. I cannot be affected directly--only tangentially.

… I appreciate it. Even though we were brought back in the end… it makes a difference.

[What if it ends badly? he thinks, but doesn't voice, nodding instead. It'll help them more to remain confident.]

Why did someone develop technology like that? [He frowns, and unlinks his hands, fingers tapping the table.] How are you involved, then?

The technology was developed hundreds of years ago in order to study creatures from other universes in environments safe for both parties. They'd study them for a bit then send them home. However, like any well-intentioned technology, use of it was soon perverted, stolen, and sold so anyone who wanted to dabble in "studies" could do so. Use of the interdimensional studies technology now is only allowed under extremely strict circumstances that the government and otherworlder rights activists keep an eye on, otherwise, it's highly illegal and severely punishable if one is caught using it.

I got involved simply because I've been trying to find this man for years. The IST hadn't really been in use for some time as there have been other side effects of its use that directly impact us, plus the morality issues alone have turned countless people off it. Unfortunately, not everyone feels this way. The man who's done this, for example, stole some of the unused IST units and ran off, bouncing between different universes until he finally settled in this one. When this whole thing began for you and your friends, I was still trying to find him. It was only thanks to people like Audrey and her brother that I was able to find this place, but I had to stay hidden.

We both know how well that went. [He sighs.] I exposed myself here too much and not long after I sent one last person home, I was found and kidnapped. [He sounds rather insulted by this point.] I wasn't able to stop him doing what he's now done to you all...and for that, I'm sorry.

[Hawk nods, slowly. It's not an unfamiliar situation, really- someone gets power that that they think puts them above everyone else and abuses it. He hopes that they can do something about it.]

In other words, neither of you are from here originally. And you're… law enforcement?

[He nods again, pressing his lips together.] …well. Thank you for trying, all the same. And now… what can we do to stop him from keeping us here permanently?

I am. I can even show you my badge if you don't believe me.

[He leans forward in his seat] We need to find the materials he used to bring you here. They have to be kept in the same area as those brought into this universe, or else the experiment won't work. Once they're found, I need to destroy them in order to send you home once and for all.

May I see it? [One side of his mouth quirks up.] I do believe you, I'm just curious.

The photos? Or are thee other things as well? [he frowns] Are any of them connected with why places from home have come here?

[he tilts his head, giving Nathan a considering look] And it's just you who can do that?

Sure. [He reaches into his jacket's inner pocket, pulling out a thin black wallet. On the inside is an ID badge with his picture, the name and rank "Marshall Thanial" next it. At the top reads: "Interdimensional Policing Authority Taskforce". On the other side of the ID is an oval silver badge with four big dots connected to each other and to a fifth in the middle. At the top are the initials "I.P.A.T." and at the bottom is a badge number: "60510"]

There...are. If you're familiar with photos, there's usually a thing they're developed from--and that's the film. I didn't think he was using technology that old but...he must be.

[He nods] For safety reasons, it must be me.

Oh come on!

[The glass in Kon's hand immediately breaks; he's too frustrated to notice any harm he might've inflicted upon himself.] It's bad enough I was a "failed experiment" back home, but I'm one on an interdimensional level too?

What the hell was that guy - the mayor, right? What was he thinking?

[Calmly] No, Conner. Here, you have passed whatever criteria he has. You're successful--and that's the problem. I--just listen to this. [Nathan takes his CAT (which he's now gotten from Fuu) and plays the recorded video of his conversation with the man in black.]

The man you know as the mayor is only a duplicate of the real Dr. Caligin. Caligin wanted to find a way to resurrect his dead father, and along the line, he met a certain benefactor--the man in that video there. He thought he had to test the technology given to him before he attempted to revive his father, but he wasn't told that it was possible from the very beginning.

[Nathan's reaction manages to subdue Kon. He laughs nervously, watching the recording before he presses his lips together. So THAT'S why all the townspeople were in a frenzy...]

So the man in the video manipulated Caligan to get the original off-worlders here, right? [If he sounds like he's unsure, it's because it's a lot for him to take in. He didn't like being an experiment of an experiment.] And of those guys, the ones that were successful... are the ones who're still here?

Were our worlds giant experiments too?

[Nathan nods, taking a drink from his glass.] That man is called Ferran. Some of you refer to him as the "Man in Black", which makes sense since he likes to wear a hell of a lot of black. And yes, of everyone still here, they--and yourself--are the successful ones.

[His expression darkens as he folds his hands in front him. Conner's the first to bring this up, and in truth...Nathan hasn't mentioned it yet because he hasn't wanted to worry everyone else.] No, your worlds are not part of the experiment--but they're slowly becoming so. This technology isn't supposed to be used all the time. The constant use for the past couple years have...created small bleeds. So far, it's only showing here, as this is the epicenter of it all. You may have noticed strange buildings and structures around the town and the spacestation. Those haven't been Ferran's doing. They've come here on their own.

That's why he must be stopped. Not just to send you all home, but to prevent this universe from colliding with every single one it's connected with.

[Okay, so the people in his world aren't clones or experiments. That's a relief---or it would've been, if Nathan hadn't told him the truth.

Kon inhales sharply.] Damn. I knew something was going on, what with the Talon and Luke's professor's car and Willis's house and everything being here...

But if this "Ferran" keeps going, then we're gonna end up with a pretty ugly multiverse. Singleverse? I don't know what we'd call it.

[Nathan makes a face and slowly speaks] Actually...it won't be any of those. The universes will collapse completely. It's happened in the past. Hundreds of years ago, mind, but...yeah...

[Crap.] It's happened before?

... I know everyone else'll want to know how to fix this, 'cause I certainly do, but when it collapsed before, was it natural? Or was it because of some jerk like Ferran?

Yeah... It happened not too long after my people perfected the anchor system--what we use in order to stay in universes that aren't our own. Granted, this was still centuries ago. But anyway, a team of scientists took the technology to a neighboring universe to see how well it worked there, and proceeded to pull in a few primitive animal subjects from another universe to see how they survived in a different environment. The test was slated to last for five years.

They didn't make it to five. After three years, it became difficult to receive progress reports from them, and when nothing was heard for the yearly update, a couple government representatives were sent to investigate them--and they found nothing. They were nearly lost too, but since they couldn't anchor themselves to anything--there was nothing to anchor themselves to--they made it back.

At first, the scientists thought maybe the other universes just couldn't handle the use of the technology, but they tried again under similar circumstances and found correlations to the first incident and their own. There was bleeding over from the other universe that became worse and worse as things went on, but one brilliant scientist had the idea to switch it off. They survived past the point of the last team.

Mind you, this was back in the days when the technology was only used to study different animals in other universes. Not people. No, anthropologists got their hands on the tech after it'd been tested safely on other things before they were unleashed on people. [Nathan just...shakes his head. He's not too keen on the use of the technology for such things. Then again, if he was, he wouldn't be right where he is today.]

Ferran came along much later, and yeah, he is a jerk.

[Kon stares at Nathan blankly. Wait, what?

It takes him a moment to process what he'd just heard - and when he does, he rubs his temples and tries not to sigh out of frustration.] So the tech from your world was exploited by Ferran for whatever his stupid purpose was? That's kinda dumb. Not surprising, but dumb.

[There's a small pause, before he remembers to say:] Thanks. Will you be okay at the end of this? I know I'll be fine [he doesn't know, but he'd rather stubbornly cling onto denial] but do you have plans to get back to wherever you are too?

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❧ Flashback

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